It's my own space, my own time, 

when I'm just out there letting my thoughts go. 

It's a part of my day like eating, and it's one of my

favorite parts.   ~~   Louise Kent, runner

Lots of thoughts went through my head this morning while I was out on my walk, one of which seemed more persistent than all the others: I am not a runner. While I break into a jog occasionally, and sometimes sprint just for the wake-up it provides, I am a walker. 

I used to be a sofa sitter, but I am now a walker. 

I used to look at runners with the idea that if I couldn't do that, what was the point? Now I look at runners, and think, "Good for you! I'm having a great time doing what I'm doing, too!"

Most runners don't give walkers much respect. That's been my experience, anyway. Heck -- I catch myself way too often saying that I just walk, which conjures images of strolls around the block where you stop and chat with neighbors. 

When I decided to transition my walking reports from Facebook to another format that only those interested would see if they wanted to, one of my friends said this:

I liked seeing your posts. I hoped that sooner or later I would be inspired

to move more myself. Knew I'd never match your dedication, but 

might at least get off the couch." ~~ CRH

Well, that set me to thinking about something that's played around the back of my mind for awhile. When I decided to start walking I discovered there was very little love out there on the internet for those of us who want to bump up those strolls to challenge ourselves a little bit, either by going a bit faster, or a bit farther, or both. Most of what information is out there for pedestrian sports is geared to runners, and we walkers tend to have to figure out how to filter that for our needs.

I hope that will change, but until it does, this little blog o' mine will serve, I hope, as inspiration to GET OFF THE COUCH, and as a place where you can ask questions and I can be challenged to find answers.

When I decided I needed to do something, and I was taking a walk and thinking, as I was huffing and puffing, that surely the block around which I walked must have been at least a mile. It was a little less than a quarter of that distance, of course, and I had to rest the next day to recover. And, by the way, that was AFTER I had lost most of my weight -- so that had nothing to do with it.

When, many many months later I was seriously looking at participating in a half-marathon as a walker, I looked back on those early weeks and was -- rightly -- proud of myself. My first paces were in the 20 + minute mile range. That's a solid range for somebody getting off the sofa for the first time, and even if you never get faster than that, you have my respect, because you are not giving up on yourself.

It is never about beating anybody else's time or distance. It's just about beating the voice in your head that says you can't do this. 

So, I'll say this here as plainly as I can. I could be a runner, if I wanted to be one. Right now, that's not what I want to do. Right now, it's enough that walking brings me satisfaction, and peace, and a sense of accomplishment. 

You do not have to be a runner to have the spirit of an athlete. 

You just have to get up.

***

Today's Walk

Distance: 9.19 miles

Pace: 14min58second/mile

Total time: 2:17:39

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